CLUTTER-LOVING COUPLES LOSE OUT IN THE ROMANCE STAKES

CLUTTER-LOVING COUPLES LOSE OUT IN THE ROMANCE STAKES

• 2.4 million UK couples already living together argue over clutter up to 154 times a year

• 20% of women would rather their man de-cluttered the house than buy them a bunch of roses this Valentine’s Day

• IKEA reveals 1 in 3 women have turned down a night of passion because of clutter in the bedroom

With the nation’s hoarding habits on the increase, it’s no wonder clutter is causing conflict amongst co-habiting couples. But, with 1 in 3 women admitting they’ve turned down a night of passion because the bedroom’s been left in a state - and 41% saying they won’t even move in with their partner if they’re guilty of clutter crimes, IKEA is urging the nation to clean up their act if they want to be in a healthy relationship.

As newer UK homes are being built smaller, some having the smallest floor space in Europe (on average 83sqm1or less), it’s becoming increasingly tough for couple to make room for their love lives. However, with 20% of women admitting they want a clutter-free house over a bunch of roses this Valentine’s Day, men will need to clean up their act and pull more than just a romantic gesture out of the bag to please their partners this month.

With the bedroom now a key secondary living space, over a third (33%2) of people say it’s where they like to relax. But with almost half (42%2) of Brits admitting it’s where they hoard most of their junk, it’s now become a clutter hotspot for couples; and that’s what’s turning the bedroom cold.

2.4 million UK couples admit they already argue up to twice a week about their clutter gripes in the bedroom - that’s a staggering 154 times a year - and with almost 20% of men thinking it’s still a woman’s work to de-clutter the household, their opinion seems to be fuelling a different kind of fire in the home.

Stelios Kiosses, popular TV psychotherapist and expert on the emotional effects of clutter, comments on IKEA’s findings: “The results highlight one of the most common problems in relationships due to clutter – a lack of communication. For most women, clutter symbolises that her partner doesn’t care about how she feels. Women tend to express this by increasing the amount they complain about clutter, but men misinterpret this and tend to take it as a remark meant to make them feel incompetent.

Clutter then becomes a barrier between the couple, creating feelings of resentment. Few couples realise the importance of dealing with it until it is way out of control - piles of stuff in every room may affect the couples ability to think clearly, relax, and enjoy their living space so it's important to have storage space for every item to prevent more pile-ups.”

Gemma Arranz, Country Interior Design Manager at IKEA UK & Ireland comments: “IKEA has developed a great range of products that present ideas and storage solutions for couples to live harmoniously together. With many co-habiting in increasing smaller households, we need to think more about making living space work for them, using practical home furnishings and accessories for small but smart changes.

Inspired and yet still affordable, IKEA understands the modern day challenges of couples and our great range of storage solutions ensure that whatever shape or size the room, we are taking care of the ever changing ways people live.”

So how do couples try and manage their clutter under one small roof? 33% of women say they’ll do the tidying themselves to try to save arguing (compared to 21% of men), while another 16% say they have to resort to nagging to get their other half to tidy up. 29% even admit to ‘accidentally on purpose’ throwing their partner’s belongings out, while a cunning 9% of women will use an ‘early night’ as a bargaining tool when it comes to de-cluttering the house. __________________________________________________

Notes to Editor:

About IKEA

• IKEA was established in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad at the age of 17, in Småland in Sweden.

• IKEA is the world’s leading home furnishing retailer with a grand total of 287 IKEA stores in 26 countries/territories that are visited by 655 million people every year. IKEA UK has 18 stores and IKEA Ireland has 1 store. The first IKEA store in the UK was opened in Warrington in 1987.

• The IKEA Group has 131,000 co-workers in 41 different countries over four continents. 106,500 in Europe, 16,500 in North America and 8,000 in Asia and Australia. There are 7200 employees currently working at IKEA UK and Ireland organisation.

•IKEA has a range of 9,500 different home furnishing products.

•Sales for the IKEA Group for the financial year 2011 increased by 6.9 per cent to a total of 24.7 billion Euros compared to 2010. Despite the tough economic climate, IKEA UK has reported that total sales for the year to 31 August 2011 of £1.15 billion.

• IKEA had 42million visitors in the UK stores.

• Last year, the annual IKEA catalogue was printed in 208 million copies, 59 editions and in 30 languages. In total, the catalogue was read by 400 million people in 41 countries. Ingvar Kamprad penned all the text himself until 1963.